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Ever try to get off a political party’s mailing list? How’d that work for you?

Got another mailing today from the Republican National Committee. It's a pretty serious fundraiser pitch for Sen. John McCain, of course. It's a 4-pager, with lots of "sky is falling," "sky is falling" warnings about how we'll descend straight to hell in a hand basket if the Democrats win the presidency in November.

Of course, I know from having worked briefly writing fundraising letters, that all of it is bunk. The bunk is "personalized" (this one really wasn't even personalized) and created to push exactly the right buttons of the optimum number of party faithful to raise money for the election campaign. I will have to admit, as letters to the party faithful go, these mass mailings aren't exactly festive party invitations. I've written and seen much better. Too "Republican grim" by far.

But the biggest problem is -- I'm NOT one of the party faithful. I have been a happily registered Democrat who has voted for Democratic Party candidates almost exclusively for the last 16-20 years. I once worked with a guy who is now a very minor GOP leader in our particular state congressional district. I guess that's how I got on the GOP mailing list. (If you're reading this, Ron, you're wasting your time. Please take me off.) Seems like a terrible waste of fundraising efforts if you ask me.

But, it's their postage on the postage-paid envelope. I'm happy to scribble across the return piece something like: "Once again, any real people reading this, I am requesting for the XXth time to be removed from your mailing list. I do not belong to the Republican Party and cannot imagine belonging in this lifetime. PLEASE REMOVE ME FROM YOUR MAILING LIST!!!"

Or something like that. Sure, it's irritating to have to do this three or four times a year, but I have the satisfaction of knowing that, by using their postage-paid envelope, I am doing my small bit and costing the Republican National Committee that little bit.

Small victories, I guess.
[tags]Republican Party fundraisers, political fundraising letters, just a guy who reads the papers[/tags]